If you are like me, it feels like it takes much longer to get in shape than it does to get out of it. How accurate is this feeling? Are we imagining it, or is it true that what we have worked so hard to build can be quickly lost? How long does it take to get out of shape?

The answer is actually not as straight forward as we might like it to be. It depends on a few factors. How long we have been working out, what kind of exercise we do, and even how old we are all are important factors regarding how quickly we lose our “fitness” level. [Read more…]

To those who say they don’t “do resolutions”, I have to ask, why not? What is not to like about a resolution? I always welcome a chance to start again. That is the very definition of hope! It’s like saying I’m not going to celebrate my birthday because it’s just gonna come around again next year.

Isn’t that the beauty of it? Yes, it comes around every January. And no, I can’t remember my resolutions from last year (actually, the unfortunate consequence of blogging is that my resolutions from 2014 are there for me and anyone else to see- yikes). But it doesn’t really matter. A resolution is a very here-and-now thing. It’s present day. It’s knowing yesterday is gone. Today is a new day. And it’s a new year! [Read more…]

I was going to call this post, “9 Reasons I am Thankful for ‘The Run'”. As I pulled up my chair to my computer and began to type, I realized that it would not be a post I could whip out in 9 neat reasons. My first reason was more profound than I thought upon initial reflection. So I bagged the title. And I just started to write…

I was running the other day on a trail nearby with #7 (John). John is 11. He will be fast one day. So I realize I won’t always be able to keep up with him. I love running with John because he talks the whole time. Which means I don’t have to. It was a fun run. Six miles. As we were beginning the last mile, John had run out of things to talk about (or he was too tired), so I started to talk. I try not to philosophize too much with my kids while we run but it was a particularly beautiful fall day and I couldn’t help but to tell John to look around and to be grateful for “the run”. “Be grateful for your legs and offer your run for those who can’t” (we know a young man who is paralyzed and cannot use his), “be grateful for your ability” (many kids John’s age can’t run one mile, let alone six), “be grateful for the desire” (he was happy to run that morning), “be grateful for the trail” (we are lucky to have such a great place to run nearby). “John, don’t ever forget to be grateful for running. It just might get you through a lot one day”. [Read more…]

Occasionally, whether in person or in a book, we are introduced to such a remarkable human being that we are changed by the very meeting. This is what it is like to read about Louie Zamperini inUnbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand also gave us the story of Sea Biscuit, the famous race horse, and we were similarly touched. Unbroken is a story that is at once unbelievable and yet incredible because it is true. To become acquainted with Louis Zamperini is to love him. His spirit, his zeal, and his amazing will to live challenge us to become better people for knowing him. Even if we have only read about him. [Read more…]

This is a day of joy. It represents new life. New beginnings. Second chances. As a Christian, this day is THE day. It trumps all others. We celebrate Christ’s incredible gift to each one of us. I sat in church this morning keenly aware of how, though undeserving, I am grateful for the opportunity to start anew. Glad to toss the “old self”, I feel excitement at the prospect of a new one. This is true for all of me, not just the spiritual part. As a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend. In all aspects of my life I could use a second chance. Can’t we all? [Read more…]

Let us give thanks for those who serve, for those who have served, and for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice…

Dear God, Please bless the veterans who wore the faded uniform. May they know the peace of a career well-served, and service completed. Give them our thanks for the doors opened, paths paved, and battles fought. Give them our thanks for the freedom preserved, future defended, and the ideals embodied. Bless the veterans who defended our country with strength and selfless devotion. Amen

As a Catholic, I try to live the three days leading up to Easter in a way that unites me to Christ in a more intimate way. I do this so that on Easter I can truly celebrate His gift of salvation. Exercise, during these three days, takes on a different meaning for me….my workout is less physical and more spiritual. [Read more…]

I am moving off the regular topic of fitness today…I guess when it’s my website I can do that!

I remember when Cardinal Ratzinger became pope. I wondered, like many probably did, how he would fill the shoes of Pope John Paul II.

Converting to Catholicism and coming into communion with the Holy Roman Catholic Church in 1991, I came into the Church when John Paul II had already been the pope for 13 years, and I like to say that he is the pope of my conversion (he would serve as pope for another 14 years after that). Pope John Paul II became for me a source of strength, and remained a light for my faith in the years to come as I was learning more about Catholicism, raising my children, and developing an understanding of what it all meant for my own life as a wife and as a mother. I related to John Paul II in an oddly personal way. This is something I have heard others say as well. I certainly did not know him, yet he touched us with his charisma, his love of sport, fitness, and the outdoors, and his tremendous optimism. “Be not afraid” was his motto, which resonated with youth from all over the world. [Read more…]

This is a post I wrote a while ago, but I have been thinking about the subject matter again lately…What do you think, do we care too much about how we look?

“Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes,… and all things are vanity…”Ecclesiastes 1:2.

“We can’t take them with us when we die.” This is something we might think of in terms of our material possessions, yet it also pertains to something else as well…our bodies. If we are fitness enthusiasts we tend to care about our bodies…maybe too much at times. Yet, in terms of the spiritual world, they are fleeting too. I think it is good, every so often, to contemplate vanity. Its counterpart, pride, is said to be the root of all of our sins, and is one of the Seven Capital Sins. We can fall prey to this sin when we place too much importance on our appearance. Let’s face it, one of the main reasons most of us exercise is because of the way it makes us look. Sure, there are plenty of other good reasons; health, wellness, mental and emotional well-being, and so on. We all know that exercise keeps us strong and healthy throughout all the stages of our life. But the bottom line is that for many of us, the main motivator for working out is our physical appearance. The definition of vanity is, “excessive pride in one’s appearance. Also… clinging to things without solidity and permanence (such as physical beauty)”.

Follow Us

Meet Whitney

Whitney Hetzel is the mother of nine children and an exercise enthusiast. With more than 20 years of experience making fitness a priority in her busy life, she is excited to share her ideas about keeping it all in balance. To find out more read "About Whitney"!